One of the purposes of the present invention is to overcome problems associated with securing lath to walls. In wall construction, plaster is traditionally applied to a flexible lath material. The sheathing material to which the lath is secured is usually lined with a moisture resistive barrier. The current method of fastening lath to sheathing is either with staples, nails or screws. These traditional methods of attaching the metal lath to the sheathing creates multiple penetrations of the moisture resistive barrier and can cause tearing of the barrier that compromises its water resistant purpose.
A furring strip is traditionally a strip of wood or metal fixed to a wall, floor, or ceiling to provide a surface for the fixing of furring (i.e. the backing surface such as drywall, lath, tiles, etc.). One function of furring strips is to add the function of creating an air space between the sheathing and the lath, which can serve the purpose of creating an air pocket to permit moisture to evaporate when it soaks through the exterior plaster system.
However, there are still problems with current furring strips. Such furring strips still create penetrations of the moisture barrier through which water can seep. Moreover, the attachment of the lath to the furring strip is labor intensive and difficult. Current methods of attaching the lath to the furring strips include using wire ties, staples, screws or nails that are interlaced with the lath and attachment holes on the furring strip. This can be very tedious and time consuming since several attachment points using wire ties, staples, screws or nails are needed to properly secure the lath to the furring strip so that it does not fall off the wall due the weight of the lath, after plaster is applied to it. Traditional metal furring strips have also been an unwanted source of thermal transfer from interior to exterior walls and vice versa. Conventional furring strips are also not designed to accommodate the latest insulation technologies or accommodate improved drainage planes within wall systems.
Therefore, there is a need to replace current furring strips and improve their attachment to the walls, and improve the way the lath is attach to the furring strips with an improved attachment strip design that: (1) minimizes and seals penetrations; (2) more easily permits the attachment of the lath to the wall without the use, and/or the optional use, of ties, staples, screws or nails or other extraneous attachment devices; (3) minimizes thermal transfers; (4) better accommodates drainage planes within walls; and (5) can better accommodate insulation technologies in various thicknesses. These improvements over existing technology are merely illustrative of the benefits of the present invention and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. One skilled in the art will recognize many other benefits of this new attachment strip and method over apparatus and methods used to attach lath to a wall in prior art.